Ephemeral Love
by Hvsoka
Summary: There are so many mysterious phenomena in the world, not one person can say with definite certainty that the impossible, couldn't be possible. No one has the knowledge of the entire world in the palm of their hand, the tips of her fingers. / She'll do whatever it takes to protect her family, even if it mean's betraying her ideals and her heart. That's why she went to them...


**Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and the Characters associated with the franchise aren't mine; aside from my original characters.**

**Rating may go up in the future, no pairings are decided if any at all.**

**enjoy the read!**

* * *

There are so many mysterious phenomena in the world, not one person can say with definite certainty that the impossible, couldn't be possible. No one has the knowledge of the entire world in the palm of their hand, the tips of her fingers. The world was a place of wonder, of secrets and unknowns. Humanity had yet to discover even 95% of their world's oceans; how could they possibly even begin to grasp what was on the land.

For her, anything could happen in this world of wonders.

* * *

_Once upon a time, long ago when the world still hand a momentous and overflowing amount of magic, lived a young man who worked at the shrine of his village. He maintained its beauty, day after day, in worship to the fox God, Inari. His family had taken care of the shrine for generations, and never had their devotion faltered. Inari was a Fox God, the God of Abundance, and his village was always blessed with fertile soil and perfect crops._

"_Please God Inari, bless us with another harvest."_

_Every villager prayed, even if some did not believe. That never seemed to bother the God, being that every prayer was met with wonderful harvest and prosperity. His God was merciful and kind, and he only wished he could covet just a glimpse of their beauty. He prayed and prayed, hoping his God would one day allow him sight of their visage, but also to remind them that his devotion would not be swayed._

_Like all God's, Inari watched over those who worshiped them. Sending foxes to aid the farmers, keeping out pests such as rats, assuring that the crops would grow prosperously. She listened to their prayers, their hopes and dreams, but none would bring a smile to her face like the young man. Prayers were much more than just words for Inari, prayers took on a beautiful glow from within the hearts of her worshipers, and none glowed as brightly and as warm as the young man. His faith in her, undeniable love and respect, it made the God cry tears of such joy, she had never experienced it in her centuries of existence. Her heart swelled._

_So she made a decision._

_She would visit this young man, she would answer his prayers and his deepest wish._

"_Please, God Inari, hear my prayer. Bless us with another plentiful harvest. One day Bless me with your presence, whether it be a simple touch or one of your faithful foxes." The young man prayed on his knees before the red shrine, the white porcelain foxes staring at him almost warmly. That was when he felt a nudge on his back. The man turned to see a white fox, one of the many that guarded his village. His eyes widened as he slowly reached his hand out to touch the fox's fur. _

"_Ibuki would rather you let him sniff you first before touching his fur."_

_The young man jumped, turning his gaze to the unfamiliar voice; a voice so sweet and so beautiful he wouldn't have believed he actually heard it if it weren't for the sight of its owner. An ephemeral woman with white hair cascading down to the floor, the tips like the fur of the red foxes of spring. Her eyes were mismatched, one a stunning silver blue like frost, while the other was a bright gold like the suns welcoming rays. Her kimono barely hung around her shoulders, revealing more of her porcelain skin._

_He couldn't mistake this, there was no way he could mistake this undeniable presence of a God. It was otherworldly, "God Inari..!" He gasped._

_Inari smiled at the sound of him speaking her name, a gentle expression came to her face, "Good morning, my devoted child. I heard your prayers." She hummed, slowly walking over to him, her long and slim legs opening up the loosely done Kimono. Her bare feet causing the Earth beneath her to fold under her weight. _

_The young man watched the God, and the God watched him. That day, started something no God would have expected._

_Inari visited him, nearly every day if not every night, and each encounter left Inari wanting something she didn't think she ever wanted. To be loved; and to be loved by him. The young man had become older as the years passed, and he turned into a strong and mature man right before her eyes. His appearance changed, but his devotion stayed the same._

_The more she watched him, the more she realized, he deserved a woman who could stay by is side, who aged just as he did, because unlike him, she remained appearing the same. So she remained silent, and hidden, when she saw a female villager walk to the shrine and stood before him, flustered and yet excited. The woman was in love with the man, "Please," she said, "I love you, and I wish to become your bride. Be with me forever."_

_The words stabbed into Inari's heart. The Fox God remained hidden within the trees as tears formed in her eyes, fearful of his response. The human woman was beautiful, and she could be everything that Inari couldn't for the man. She knew this would bring him happiness, and yet, why did it hurt her so thinking about him no longer smiling at her._

"_I'm… flattered, however… My soul and heart belong to my God Inari."_

_The females gasped in surprise._

"_Inari is kind, and merciful. She is fierce and protective, and above all else, she is the one I love. To the ends of this Earth, she is the most beautiful. I'm sorry…"_

_Inari watched with her heart beating strongly in her ears, her breath catching in her throat. _

"She is the one I love."

"_She isn't real, Takeshi. You cannot love something you cannot touch!" The woman bellowed upset, which the man took without ill. _

_The man shook his head, "She is real, and I talk to her every day. I spend my nights at her side, listening to her beautiful voice speak to me or sing to the foxes. I feel her touch whenever I teach her the ways of our people. With each passing day, I fall more and more deeply in love with her." He smiled. This was his truth._

_Inari couldn't stop herself once the woman left in tears, throwing herself into his surprised arms, and crying into his neck. "I love you too."_

* * *

Dark red hair, like red wood, cascaded down a woman's back, who was roasting over a kitchen stove as she cooked some steak, rice and eggs for dinner, hoping that her babysitter would enjoy the food. She wiped off the sweat that beaded down her forehead and her neck, "So hot.." She breathed, but she'd rather have dinner ready before she had to leave. It was almost 6:00 p.m. and her work had called her in for a 6:30 shift, which took her 10 minutes to get there, and she had to call in her babysitter a little last minute. Thankfully, the teenager was more than happy to babysit for a few hours, and to repay her kindness with more than money, she'd drive her home just so the girl didn't have to walk home so late at night. She couldn't afford paying a last minute fee.

"Hey sis…!"

The woman looked up from her work on the stove to the doorway, where a boy stood looking no older than 15. His hair dyed a dark brown, and the brown contacts in his eyes only made his beautiful orbs look golden brown. Even with the generic colors he had adopted, she couldn't help but think of how much he looked like their grandfather when he was younger. The thought brought a small smile to her lips, before she turned off the stove and turned to him, "What is it, Yuma?" She asked softly.

"I'm leaving now, I'll see you after work." The boy, Yuma, informed before he gave her a respective bow and disappeared out of sight, heading for the front door.

Once she heard the front door close she cleaned her hands and walked out of the kitchen and down the hall, heading for the last door to the right. As she neared her destination, she could hear the small shuffling of covers, the soft baby noises her baby sister was no doubt the source of. Upon opening the door and seeing the innocent and terrifyingly small human form of the girl, the female walked over and let a gentle smile tug at her lips, "I thought it was about time for you to wake up… You better not give that poor girl a hard time, Himari." She chuckled softly, hoisting the little girl up into her arms and resting her on her hip for a moment. This small creature in her arms was so fragile compared to her, any touch could possibly harm her if one weren't careful. She had to protect her, and Yuma, no matter what it took. That's the promise she made.

"My darling little sister, I do hope you end up nothing like our horrible father…" The whisper, that prayer, she hoped never fell upon deaf ears. Whether the Gods heard it or the Devil, she didn't care anymore. As long as her baby sister wouldn't show any signs of relation to that bastard they were unfortunately bloodline to.

_Ding, Dong, Ding._

The doorbell's ring broke her train of thought, the ring bounced off the walls and echoed the sound into the room she was in. A sense of relief filled her as she already knew who it was. "Thank goodness, she's here." That babysitter she had called finally arrived, and she was never happier to see her than now. The girl was always so polite and Himari loved her to death, she was her favorite babysitter. She was glad that she could take such a last minute job. "Coming!" She called out, walking out into the hall and heading down the same path as her brother did earlier. She took off her slippers, careful with Himari laying her head on her shoulder, before she headed for the door and opened it with a smile, "Tohru! I'm very happy to see you! Glad you got here safe~"

Greeting her on the other side of the door was a teenage girl with long brown hair like her brothers current hair color, and big brown eyes that reminded her of a doe. "You are a lifesaver! Thank you so much, especially since it was so last minute, I'll make it up to you I swear!" Himari immediately began squirming in the woman's arms, reaching out for the girl named Tohru.

"No thanks needed! I'm always more than happy to look after this little fairy!" Tohru smiled happily as she stepped into the home, careful taking her shoes off before slipping on the guest slippers and holding her arms out a bit for the baby.

Like clockwork, the woman handed the small baby off to Tohru, "Dinner is ready on the stove if you get hungry, don't worry about leftovers, you eat your fill. You already know how to prepare Himari's food and everything-" The woman went down a list of things, from spare blankets were in the closet, or the ice cream she got from the store today in the freezer, to her phone number being pinned to the calendar hanging on the wall. All the while she was slipping out of her slippers and into a pair of heels that accented her waitressing uniform. Tohru nodded to every point, listened to every word despite already knowing very well how things were.

Tohru had been such a reliable babysitter for almost 3 years now, she was practically like another little sister. She didn't know if she could've accomplished so much when she first brought Himari home, without Tohru doing those overnights, early mornings and last minute calls. She owed the teen a lot, "Thanks again Tohru! I'll call you as soon as I'm out and even on my break to check in, okay?" She quickly grabbed her coat off the rack and blew a kiss to her sister and a wave to Tohru.

Himari waved and giggled from the arms of her favorite babysitter, an arm around Tohru's neck, while Tohru matched her smile and waved back happily, "Be safe and have a great time at work, Miss Miyamoto!"

* * *

"Yua Miyamoto! You are cutting it very close, madam!"

The sound of her manager yelling at her from across the back room made the woman jump a bit in surprise before she turned slowly to meet her gaze. "Good evening, Miss Wong… I didn't mean to, you see… I had to find a babysitter-"

"How long does it take to find a babysitter for the brat! I gave you 45 minutes of time so you could settle everything! If you are late I will cut your hours do you understand, Yua Miyamoto!?"

This woman was so damn unreasonable, from her demands to her incredibly high expectations concerning attendance. If you were sick, Miss Wong would chew you out over the phone when you called in _**and **_another lecture when you got back to work. Somehow thinking she didn't look like a complete psycho when she says that allergies and illness are a choice. She hardly ever gave any of her employees any days off, and scarcely ever accepted anyones excuses. Yua tried her damndest never to be late, because after three strikes, you were out. Caput, **fired**. No excuses in existence would ever suffice to Miss Wong, so she wasn't going to even try. She couldn't lose her best paying job. That wasn't something she could afford.

"Yes, Miss Wong. I understand perfectly." Yua murmured as she bowed a bit to the older woman, before scurrying off to the bathroom. She was quick to lock the door behind her so Miss Wong couldn't follow her in, and stepped away to look over herself in the mirror. The light thud of her purse hitting the ground numbly echoed off the tile and metal, barely registering in her ears. The feeling of soft marble beneath her fingertips was cooling and the only thing she truly tried focusing on when it came to reality. _Just here… She can only talk shit to you here. This does not make you weak. _

_**But it makes you desperate.**_

"Shut up!"

"_Did you just tell me to shut up!_" Came Miss Wong's anger-filled voice from the other side of the door, a torrent of banging soon following after.

Yua blushed deeply with embarrassment. She had said that incredibly loud, the old lady must've heard it and thought it was a retaliation. "A-Ah! No Miss Wong! I was just talking to myself! Apologies Ma'am!" Once the words left her mouth, she facepalmed her forehead, realizing now she sounded like she was off her rocker. This just kept getting worse, no? After the quick and silent beratement in her mind, Yua noticed the banging had stopped. Seems Miss Wong took the apology and left. Thank goodness! _Note to self: never admit that you talk to yourself. _

Admitting that was like asking for people to start talking about you, and Yua hadn't had any intention to become the center of attention. It wasn't like she couldn't handle it or anything, but it was because she couldn't afford certain people giving her attention. Like possibly anyone who knew her face or her siblings faces. If her father found them, she didn't know what she'd be able to do; what she could guarantee.

Now wasn't the time to think about that, though. Now, she had to go out, smile and be at her best serving and taking orders, otherwise she'd be unable to pay the months rent.

The loud chattering of families and couples is what first hit her when she opened the doors into the kitchen to grab her apron. The next was the clanging of silverware as it hit, slid, fell or was set down on the plates their food was prepared on. It was loud and everything smelled of Chinese cuisine, wrapping around her like a big bear hug. As her eyes scanned out over the bar counter, she could see that the entire establishment was nearly full of people, which wasn't too odd for a thursday. "Hikaru, I'm going out on the floor." Yua stated, tying her apron behind her back and making her way out to the hostess counter to fill in for the girl that just left.

"Alright, be aware that Miss Wong is expecting special guests, so don't let her see you slacking." A man by the pans and fire said, sparing her a glance over the shoulder.

Yua laughed, "Me? Slack off? There's no way~" But of course she found loopholes. The job wasn't exactly pleasant, and being on her feet all day at the whims of, more often than not, rude and demanding individuals was killer on her feet. Especially since, part of her work uniform she had to wear heels. She swore that her feet would one day punish her 10-fold for the torture they endured, and Yua cursed that day to come. The bright side, her calves never looked better. The moment she approached the hostess table, she clocked in and began her shift. "Hi! Welcome~"

The night went on painfully slow, Yua would feel like 2 hours had passed when only one had gone by. This wasn't how busy days were, she'd usually be so busy that her entire shift would go by in a blur. But now? It was like she was forced to memorize the very details of every customer that walked in through the doors, from their specific hair colors to the scuffs on their shoes, just to entertain herself. How could time be moving so slow when 30 new s walked in, 23 went out, and 15 moved towards the back to the bar. _I feel anxious and I don't understand why…_ She held her hands and menus behind her back with a smile plastered on her face, knowing better than to let anyone know she was already uncomfortable with being in the front. Miss Wong wouldn't hesitate to chop her head off if she did, then chop her hours in half while she was at it, no, she couldn't risk that.

Ring-a-ling

The sound of the doors' bell somehow completely out done the chatter and clatter of the restaurant and caught her attention back to the door. As the door opened, two people stepped inside. "Hello and Welcome to Miss Wong's! My name is Yua Miyamoto and I'll be your hostess today~ For two?" The man looked to be in his forties, salt-and-pepper hair with slight waves, a receding hairline, and evident aging in his face. He wasn't half bad, but he was definitely old enough to date her mom. The lady beside him was much shorter than she, and she had auburn hair ties back into this half-up-half-down do that was held by a butterfly pin, at least from what she could tell looking at the reflection of the door. Her eyes were bright blue, and she hardly looked near his age, probably early thirties. The rings on their left ring fingers indicated marriage; adding to the fact, their clothes were matching each other with impeccable skill. His dark coat and pants made his white shirt pop, and gave him a silhouette of a decent build. Her matching dark brown dress made her creamy colored skin look almost porcelain, making her look even younger. The black shawl around her shoulders even helped point out his black shoes and her black heels. To add a little color to her, she sported a gold encrusted necklace. It looked pricey but she had never seen the design before. She could only guess that it was either a custom or a previous anniversary gift from their younger years.

By the time she sat them down and settled, it felt like an hour had passed, so she glanced at the clock, only to groan in disappointment that not even 30 minutes had gone by.

"Hikaru! Give this to Mina! It's in her area." Yua stated, clipping the note to the board and soon walking away.

_I wonder how Tohru and Himari are doing… _She wasn't usually nosy or worried, but something about her current situation unsettled her. Sure, she got called in sometimes, and sure it was inconvenient, but she had never felt uneasy before. It never got so bad that she'd be unable to completely focus on work.

Ring-a-ling.

"Hi welcome to Miss Wong's~" Her body moved on muscle memory, she didn't even have to look at the new customer's faces as she picked up the menus from beneath the hostess table and turned on her heel to greet them more properly. All that painfully slow variable that she had come to know as time, had suddenly become so agonizing she was ready to scream. Three, large men walked in, shoving and pushing one another around as some sort of ritual she found human males doing often. At least shady ones.

"Hey doll-face~" The leader of the group seemed already drunk, so she assumed they came from the otherside of the restaurant; the bar portion. It must've been packed if they came the long way around.

"I'm assuming that's going to be a table for three, luckily for you we have a table ready." Yua smiled, trying to force away that nagging voice in the back of her head that said she should just leave. That the guys were a lot of trouble, however, as much as she'd rather not deal with drunk men she knew Miss Wong would fire her if she made that known. "Please follow me~" She began to lead them through the restaurant all the way to a round table fit for three nearest the side entrance. Just as they sat down, she felt someone's hand brush against her ass through the fabric of her skirt. The feeling sent this revolting chill down her spine that she could hardly ignore, "Alright, what can I get for you to drink? May I recommend some water to wash down all the alcohol~"

It was almost comical, as the sentence left her mouth, Miss Wong peeked her head out from the Manager's office and glared at her.

_Oh shit! Did she hear me!?_

Yua's smile seemed to faintly faulter for a moment as she tried not to crack beneath the gaze of her employer.

"I'll have a beer."

"Me too."

"Water for me."

The change at the end made Yua look up from her notepad to the owner of the last voice she heard. Her restaurant didn't attract a very eclectic variety of s, so this was odd. Amongst the group of obviously alpha males, drunk she may add, there was one that was ready to cool down for the night after no doubt drinking for some time at the bar. A bit of curiosity enticed her to get a glimpse of such a rarity. He had dark, charcoal black hair that fell into his face, and dark purple eyes. He was actually handsome now that she was getting a good look at him. "Alright… so… Two beers, one water?" She asked for confirmation.

In response, the trio nodded.

"Alright, just give me a second and I'll have someone bring you your drinks." Yua smiled, slipping her notepad into her apron's pocket before turning on her heel to leave.

Okay, maybe her shift wasn't nearly as boring now. This time there was some decent looking eye candy to keep her sane, and he might've been a decent human being. Yua walked back to the kitchen before pinning up the note on the hooks, only for someone to reach out and grab her wrist.

"Oh no you don't, Miss Miyamoto. That's your table, no more shoving your work onto the other waitresses." Miss Wong stated with a narrowed gaze, frowning at Yua as if she had just killed her cat. "Go do your damn job for once before I send you home!"

Yua flinched from the loud shriek her boss had released, before rushing to get the three drinks quickly. The scream was enough to make the woman shrink away as she poured the beer into two tall glasses, and water in another. Before placing them on a tray, she had to assure that everything was balanced as to not drop it all midway there. The female hoisted the tray over her shoulder a bit as she began to make her way over to the three men's table.

All the while she started to think; it's not like she didn't do her job, it's just something everyone did when they first clocked in. For the first couple hours (to wake up) they'd have the waitresses do most of the work, at least that's what she was taught. Then after a couple hours they'd switch out with someone else and pick up their slack. The staff there was relatively small on a daily basis, and most work days hardly called for more than a handful of people. There was no need to call everyone in. In total, 12 people worked here, and some, like herself, had second jobs so availability was strained. There was someone even on staff that only worked one day out of the work week.

Now that she thought about it, Yua felt that she did a lot when she didn't have to. She wasn't even supposed to be in today, but Miyano called in sick. It's not like she minded it, that meant more money in her check but the fact that Yua was always called when someone called in sick meant that she did more than what was expected of her. She did her damn job!

Hmph!

Yua approached the trio's table before setting down the drinks, "Here you go~ Two beers and one water. Are you three ready to order?" She smiled, hopefully it didn't come off too forced. She did just get insulted not too long ago.

"Thanks miss!" One of the hot guys friends smiled.

Wait.

Now that she was looking at all of them, they ALL seemed pretty attractive. One of them could pass off as a woman hands down, if it weren't for his Adam's apple. Her eyebrow raised in a bit of surprise as she wondered if attractive people just surround themselves with beauty by choice, or do they just flock together like birds?

"I'd like the sweet and sour pork." The male with dark hair and gray eyes smiled, his eyes scanning her form quickly though not quick enough that she couldn't see it. By the time he caught her own gaze, she already knew that he was a pervert. His actions only earned him a glare.

His friend with white hair had a genuinely jovial disposition, from what she could tell at least, "Peking roasted duck for me! Dumplings as well on the side~" The way he spoke reminded her a drag queen she met briefly on TV back in the states. His facial structure was extremely androgynous, if she didn't know any better she would have called him a woman. "Your turn Hari~" he turned to the man beside him, the one with purple eyes.

The man that initially caught her attention looked up from the menu to her, his cheeks not nearly as pink as they were when all three of them stepped in. Had he sobered up? "I would like the Spring Rolls, please." Compared to his friends, he seemed the most normal out of the bunch. Hari couldn't be his real name, could it? If not, she wondered what his full name was. She didn't think too deeply on it as she grabbed their menus and bid them farewell till she received their orders.

Yua travelled back to the back counter before hanging the paper on another set of hooks, and called out to Hikaru, "Oi! I have three orders please just to get to them soon!"

The heavy set man threw a glance over his shoulder, "Heard."

The next few moments went a bit too quickly, and if she had more patience she was sure she would've thought of a better response. But the feeling of someone's hand gliding along her ass before giving one of her hips a tight squeeze made Yua's blood boil, and she snapped. "Screw you!" She hissed, turning on her heel before reaching out and grabbing the person's wrist. The man before her was way more intoxicated than the legal limit in public, tall and gave her a look that didn't hide what was on his mind, which quickly changed when Yua pulled him down and made his face connect with her knee as she brought her leg up. "Jackass- oh shit." The realization hit her just as she saw the man writhing on the floor of the restaurant.

She was so fired.

"MISS MIYAMOTO!"

_Shit…_

* * *

"Hey, Tohru! I'm home…" Yua sighed.

_Miss Wong not only fired me, but might've taken my hearing too. _She couldn't help but think exasperatedly, setting a hand on the wall as she took off her shoes. This was just perfect, she lost her best paying job, now how was she supposed to make rent on time? _Can't get past it, I might have to call her for help… _Yua thought softly before she stepped into her home and walked down the hall, heading for her baby sisters room.

There was some shuffling behind one of the guest room doors before it opened and a familiar face appeared, "Welcome back, Miss Miyamoto~" Tohru smiled happily, but it did nothing to conceal the confusion and concern in her eyes. The teen was probably in the middle of doing homework when she walked in, "What are you doing back so early?" She asked.

Yua shook her head, giving her a gentle smile before she opened Himari's bedroom door and glanced inside to see the little girl asleep in her bed. _That's good… Hopefully she'll sleep through the night tonight. _With that, the woman closed the door softly and looked over to Tohru, "Unfortunately I got fired. It's still really late though, how about you stay the night and I'll drive you to school in the morning?" Yua would sleep better if she knew Tohru was here instead of walking home in the dark, knowing she wouldn't accept a ride home.

"Oh! I couldn't do that! I don't want to inconvenience you like that, Miss Miyamoto." And typically like her, Tohru frantically shook her head and waved her hands in front of her form.

The sight was rather comical, and her cracking voice was so familiar and somehow cute, "It isn't an inconvenience, just let your mom know, okay Tohru? I won't be taking no for an answer, it'll really hurt my feelings..!" Her volume gradually became louder as she walked away from Tohru and towards the kitchen, she was famished.

* * *

**Thank you all for reading! This was the product of a late night ramble of thoughts. I don't know if I'll continue it or just leave it as is. I would appreciate some feedback if that isn't any trouble! Follow and favorite if you'd like as well, much appreciated.**

**Love always,**

**Chess~**


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